Chapter 30:

Dylan looked back at Mihangel, surrounded by guards, pinned between two golems that held his arms.  Although he knew this had to happen, that Mihangel had to die to return to the otherworld to defeat Nysrogh once and for all, he knew what he was about to suffer for the good of his people, for him and Megan, because they were really the only people he had left.  All other nobles were dead, or at least castrated, so they couldn't propagate.  No other generation of nobles would be born.

Humans, too -- if Mihangel's plan came to fruition -- would come to an end.  They would castrate themselves out of existence, believing that they were doing so to obtain heaven on Earth, but Dylan knew that it was only being done to rid the Earth of their kind, making room for a new race, one given birth to by him and Megan, once he was again Emrys and had his cock and balls restored.

They would rule over an empty land  after the current generation had died, but Mihangel had promised him and his children long lives.  They might live as much as a thousand years, and given such a long life, could take strides toward repopulating the Earth, this time with a pure race, one infused with the essence of the God, both from the male and female lines, not just from the male line, as the nobles had been.  His and Megan's children would truly be the God's children.

As Dylan, he felt a twinge of guilt at having betrayed his men, now his friends, although human they might be, but then again, Dylan was human, not noble.  When Megan had changed Emrys to Dylan, she had cast him a human body.  The soul and body of Emrys was nobly born, but not the body occupied by Dylan, not without his cock and balls. 

When he'd been changed to Dylan, he'd retained the cock and balls of Emrys, but had cut them off to avoid becoming a golem shell; and the essesence of the God resided in a noble's balls.  Without them, he was no better than a human. 

Only when he once again became Emrys and had his cock and balls restored as Mihangel had promised, would he once again become a noble.  That's why, as Dylan, he felt empathy for the humans.  Dylan was one of them.  He, too, would cease to exist.

But, without balls, Dylan had no future -- and unlike his human companions -- he knew it.  Only Emrys --- the part of him that became more and more foreign to him every day -- had a future.  Once the God restored his cock and balls -- that is -- the cock and balls he held in trust in the otherworld.

* * *

The soldiers and golems led Mihangel away, followed closely by Glendower.  Mihangel hadn't looked at Glendower since that first moment after Glendower had kissed him on the cheek.  For some reason, Glendower would have preferred Mihangel's curse to his silence, but Mihangel ignored him as if he were of no consequence.  But then, he, too, ignored his guards.  To a casual observer, Mihangel would have seemed their leader, rather than their prisoner.

When Glendower had seen the guard release the others and had seen them walk away, he'd wanted to shout at the guards to prevent Dylan and the disciples from escaping, but he hadn't been able to speak.  Even if he had, though, it probably wouldn't have done any good.  It was as if the guards, golem and human alike, at Mihangel's command, had become unaware of the existence of the disciples.  Why, Glendower wondered -- if he had such power -- didn't he free himself?

Once at the castle, they were led into the hall where the king held court.  Merfyn sat on his throne, flanked by both Cadell and Heddwyn.  When Mihangel was led before them, Merfyn's sharp intake of breath made an audible sound.

"Emrys," he said, "so, you still live."

"I am not Emrys," said Mihangel.

"Think I would not know my own brother's son?"

"The brother you murdered?" said Mihangel, "Nevertheless, I am not Emrys.  I am Mihangel."

"Strip him," said Merfyn.  If he had his cock and balls, and he were Emrys, he was the rightful king, not Merfyn, and since the God was no longer weak, could attain his throne.  If Emrys, with cock and balls, he would be under the God's protection, and with the God no longer blinded, they wouldn't be able to kill him.  Merfyn had sacrificed his two sons to blind the God.  He had no others to give for that purpose.

He had no children.  His wife had killed herself upon hearing of the deaths of her sons, upon hearing that Merfyn had sacrificed them to become king.  He'd had women since, but none of them had conceived.

When Mihangel was naked, they saw that he had neither genitals or manhair.  Other than the hair on his head, he had none, his body as smooth as that of a baby -- or an angel.  Perhaps, he wasn't Emrys, as he'd said.  Emrys would have manhair and a scar where his cock and balls had been.  Even upon close inspection, the three of them, Merfyn, Cadell, and Heddwynn, saw that Mihangel had none. 

He appeared to have been born without cock and balls, and of course, he had been.  Even a magical healing would have left a scar on a boy castrated after achieving his manhair. 

"Who are you, if not Emrys?" asked Merfyn.

"I told you.  I am Mihangel."

"The one calling himsef 'the God?" asked Heddwynn.

"I am that one," said Mihangel.

"Are you telling us you are the God?" asked Cadell, a look of scorn on his face.

"I am," said Mihangel.

"Yet, we captured you?" replied Cadell.

"It serves my purpose," said Mihangel.

"And what purpose is that?" asked Cadell.

"Your end and that of Nysrogh.  You and he have lost.  Nysrogh's rule has come to an end.  The time of the God has arrived.  The three of you will join Nysrogh in the netherworld.  He will have little else other than your souls to feast on for eternity."

"If you're the God, free yourself," said Merfyn.  Guards, human and golem surrounded him, swords and spears pointed at Mihangel. 

Making no move to free himself, Mihangel smiled.  "Do you think, had I not wanted you to capture me, you could have?  Have you not tried for years?  Have I not castrated all the noble boys under your protection?"

"You were betrayed by one of your own," Heddwynn said, looking at Glendower, standing beyond the guards surrounding Mihangel.

"Glendower," said Mihangel.  "He but does my bidding, as do you?"

"We do your bidding?" scoffed Merfyn.  "We are in charge.  I am king of Gwynedd.  Nysrogh is the god of Gwynedd."

Mihangel laughed.  "Nysrogh," he said, glancing at Cadell, "what power does either Nysrogh or this charlatan of his have left?  When's the last time you even found a human to cut for a golem.  Not even these humans you have for soldiers have cocks and balls.  Other than those hanging between your legs," he said to Merfyn, "none exist in the city.  And those -- other than to provide you with momentary pleasure -- have done you little good.  You have no sons to replace those you killed.  You are the end of your line." 

"It matters not," said Merfyn, "I will live forever."

"Not without noble boys to sacrifice, you won't," said Mihangel.  "I've cut all the boys you held captive.  They are of no use to you, now."

"There are other boys of noble birth," said Cadell, thinking of those sons of nobles loyal to Merfyn.

"No longer," said Mihangel.  "I think you'll find that they've all mysteriously died.  Not one noble with cock and balls exists in this kingdom, or elsewhere."

Not one?  None of the three believed that.  None of them could allow themselves to believe it.  If true, Nysrogh would feast on their souls before the year was out.  The loss of the cock and balls of all the captive nobles had been devastating.  The loss of the remaining noble boys, those supposedly safe in their father's castles and keeps, was incomprehensible.  That possibility wasn't one they would even allow themselves to contemplate.

"Take him to the dungeon," said Merfyn.  "Scourge him.  On the morrow, he will be set on a pole." 

To Heddwynn he said, set guards around, both human and golem.  If he escapes, it will be you that sits on a pole in his place."

"Set wards around him," he said to Cadell, "to prevent the use of magic by him or someone trying to free him."

"I will," said Cadell, even though he knew, without noble boys to sacrifice, his magic would be of little use against the God, and although he didn't think Mihangel was the God, he evidently add access to the God's magic; otherwise he wouldn't have accomplished what he had.  At least, Cadell had the blood of the noble boys still held captive.  Perhaps, even without their cocks and balls, it would be of some use.

The power of the God, though, resided in their balls.  He could only hope that some of it had leaked into their blood.

The guards took Mihangel away to the dungeon.  Under the watchful eyes of both Heddwynn and Cadell, they began their scourging of him, whipping him with flails and other instruments that cut into his flesh and burning him with hot irons.  The human part of him screamed with the pain of their torture of him.  Whether the God felt that pain, no one knew.